Snowfall
by HomeAgain
Summary: Tarrlok gets entirely the wrong idea about Korra. Initially Korrlok, eventually Noalok. Starts with Episode 1.
1. Chapter 1

Tarrlok had never had much use for the Spirits or supernatural things in general, but gazing at the front page of The Daily Republic, he felt a sensation that he could only identify as awe and a sort of holy terror. What else could he feel about the face grinning back out of the cheap ink and flimsy paper, which he hadn't seen since childhood? A jaunty ponytail and large, fearless eyes, with a vivacity in them that Tarrlok recalled only from his earliest memories. They were too similar for it to be a coincidence.

It had always left a sour taste in his mouth that someone as extraordinary as Noatak should have died senselessly in his youth in a snowstorm. That was how stupid teenaged peasants went, not absurdly talented bloodbenders with a merciless sense of justice. It was only fitting that his brother should return to shape the world alongside him, as no less a person as the Avatar herself. If Tarrlok had managed to lead the Republic City Council around by the nose on his own, how much more could they accomplish together?

It was galling to see Tenzin at her shoulder, though. She must despise having to live by the rules of a stuffy rabbit-hen like that, with every second word out of his mouth about caution or restraint or some other nonsense. Even someone who hadn't once known her as closely as Tarrlok once had could see she had a spirit that needed to live life to the utmost, propriety be damned. Once she mastered airbending, though, she would be free to cast the fussy old man off like an old coat, and then things would start to get interesting, he mused. The Council could be persuaded to provide the Avatar with her own lodgings in the city then, and perhaps his neighbors in the townhouse next door would find a sudden interest in travel …But he was getting ahead of himself; such plans were premature at the moment.

He got up from the breakfast table and fetched a knife from his study. Carefully, carefully, he excised the picture and accompanying article from the paper and soon had them sealed in an envelope addressed to a village in the Northern Water Tribe. Tarrlok had been unable to think of anything to add in a letter, but he knew his mother would understand regardless. He only hoped she wouldn't be too alarmed by the column on the Equalist movement that appeared on the article's reverse side, complete with a reprint of a propaganda pamphlet featuring their masked leader. She had gotten rather overprotective of her remaining son after the death of her oldest, and there was a chance she might not see Avatar Korra in the same light that he did. The last thing he needed was a flurry of telegrams from an anxious mother.

"Can you feel it, Tarrlok?"

Noatak stood at the edge of an ice ridge overlooking the ocean, hood down in spite of the bitter wind rising that morning. Dark clouds were beginning to gather over the water, and the birds were already tucked away in whatever shelter they could find.

Tarrlok shivered inside his anorak. "Feel what? It's too cold to feel anything!"

"The storm," Noatak said, ignoring the complaint. "There's going to be a storm tonight, and it's going to be a bad one. Even mom won't believe anyone would go hunting in that." He didn't appear to feel the chill at all.

"Are you going to tell dad that?" asked Tarrlok wonderingly. _He_ certainly couldn't, not without being accused of trying to weasel out of practice or being called a coward. Yakone would probably call him that anyway, but there was no point in looking for trouble.

Noatak shrugged. "What for? She should have figured it out by now on her own. I'm not going to worry about his lies for him, and neither should you." He turned and started making his way down the trail leading down to the ocean, snow crunching under his boots. Tarrlok was supposed to go with him to catch fish for dinner, but he got the strong impression that his company was not wanted, so he hung back by the cliff side and waited for his brother to come back.

He could feel the storm coming, he noticed after a while. It might not have been the kind of storm that Noatak meant, but the tension in the air was enough to turn Tarrlok's chills into a nervous sweat.

Tarrlok found Tenzin massaging his temples wearily at his seat in the Council chamber of City Hall, and stole in silently. There was no need to sneak up on the councilman, but it was nice knowing he could get the drop on him when he wanted to. "Good morning, Tenzin," he said cheerily, pleased at the older man's subtle flinch.

"Tarrlok," he growled. "When did you get here?" Tenzin straightened and gave him a reproving stare, more out of habit than ill temper.

"Oh, some time ago," Tarrlok replied airily. "Do you think you feel up to a Council meeting today? You don't look well, and the Ataneq-Hamza case promises to be positively _grueling_. I only ask because I'm concerned, of course." He strolled around to stand just a bit too close to the airbender, just to make the man uneasy.

"Of course." Tenzin eyed him, suspicion suffusing his stern features. "I am perfectly capable of performing my duties as councilman, for your information. You won't get me off the council due to poor health _this_ decade, Tarrlok."

Tarrlok smiled, sincerely for once. If that had been his aim, he'd never have been so obvious about it. "Good spirits, I hope not. Please understand my position, though. You have been absent from several meetings these last few weeks, and when you've been here you haven't seemed yourself. Knowing your devotion to this city, how can I explain this except through some debilitating illness?"

To his delight, Councilwoman Radha entered the audience chamber and heard most of that. "Oh dear, Tenzin, are you sick?" she called out from the doorway. "How awful, maybe you need some time off." What a wonderful woman – gems like that, and he wasn't even paying her.

Tenzin, naturally, began blustering. "You're in this together, aren't you? I tell you, there is absolutely nothing wrong with me! I am not sick, I am not dying, I am simply trying to instill some mindfulness into a bull-headed teenage girl!"

There we go, thought Tarrlok. No progress on the Avatar's airbending training, and it seemed as though she was not quite getting along with her instructor. Combined with what he'd read in the papers, one might infer the Avatar resisted a passive approach, and would appreciate a certain stubbornness in an ally. Good to know, good to know. He gave Tenzin his most charming smile, and proceeded to get on with the Council's daily business.


	2. Chapter 2

It bothered Tarrlok to no end that the Avatar's exploits are being covered in the Sports section instead of Current Events these days. Pro-bending? Really? Out of all the ways she could be spending her spare time, she chooses to play _games_? The players weren't even allowed to use ice, for goodness sake. He tried listening to a match on the radio, in case he was judging the sport unfairly, but he remained unimpressed. No water whips, ice razors, or anything fun. Every time one of the players showed a little creativity and genuine talent, the referees stepped in and the crowd booed.

He crumpled up the newspaper and tossed it in the waste basket. Someone needed to remind the Avatar that she was more than an athletic seventeen year old, and he knew just the man for the job.

Tenzin stood before the rest of the Council, looking grave. More so than usual, even. "I have disturbing news regarding the Equalist movement," he said, hands folded behind him.

"Last night, the Equalists kidnapped a number of high-ranking members of the Triple Threat Triad, along with at least one ordinary bender. The Avatar went in search of him, and-"

"Then why isn't she telling us this herself?" Tarrlok cut in. "No offense, Tenzin, but I would rather hear a story like this from the source." There was a murmur of agreement from the others.

Tenzin stroked his beard, his expression not giving anything away for once. "Avatar Korra trusts my ability to accurately relay her experience. She is still tired from the incident, and I had no wish to put her through a Council meeting in such a state. Now, may I continue?"

Tarrlok gritted his teeth and nodded. Tenzin would never bring her to City Hall, and the Avatar only visited the city proper to go to the Arena. She might as well be back at the South Pole.

"Korra's search led her to an Equalist rally, where Amon revealed an ability to remove people's bending, and announced his intention to do away with bending altogether," Tenzin finished. There was a collective gasp from the other Council members, but Tarrlok himself fought down a smile.

His first instinct was to question the authenticity of Amon's little trick, but doing so wouldn't serve his purposes at all. This alleged energybending stank like badgermole shit, but it was a beautifully frightening idea. For years, Tarrlok had been hampered in his attempts to crush the movement by their refusal to do anything obviously _wrong_. They handed out pamphlets and chi-blocked bender thugs, none of which really alarmed the public. A credible threat like this, delivered by the Avatar herself, would be just the thing to spur the Council to action, or at least to permit Tarrlok's action. Tarrlok, and a few friends, perhaps.

Noatak only took an hour or so to catch enough fish for the evening. There were about six of them in the basket he carried, each still frozen in a chunk of ice. Tarrlok preferred using nets and lines, but he would have just slowed his brother down as he waterbended them right out of the ocean. Once again, he followed his brother back to their hut. Noatak dropped the basket outside and kept walking. He gestured for Tarrlok to follow him without looking back.

"I know how you can impress dad," he said once they were past the outskirts of the village. "You remember when I kept going to the healer's?"

"Yeah, but dad made you stop," Tarrlok said. He bit his lip. "I don't think he'll be happy if I learn anything about that." Healing was less gendered than it used to be, but Yakone still didn't want his sons to learn that kind of women's skill. He'd been almost as angry at Noatak as he had been the time he caught Tarrlok helping his mother on the looms.

Noatak narrowed his eyes. "I stopped going because I'd learned what I needed to, _not_ because he yelled at me, understand? _I'm_ not afraid of him."

Tarrlok hung his head. "Yes, Noatak. I'm sorry." He wished there were some way to predict what would get Noatak angry at him, but you couldn't tell what he was thinking any more than you could with the tides. Less, probably.

"Good. Now, the first thing they tell you about healing is that it's all about manipulating someone's chi .There's a mannequin they have that maps out a lot of the important chi lines, and the places where they meet. Chi blockers have to know all about this stuff to be able to interrupt those energy paths. What I want you to do is use bloodbending to do the same thing." He rolled up his sleeve and turned his arm elbow out. "Right here, between the bones. Twist up the chi around there, and my whole arm should be paralyzed until you set it right, not just for a few minutes like regular chi blocking. Go on, give it a try." He actually smiled at Tarrlok, who didn't have the heart to return it. Even though there was no one around to see them, he felt strangely ashamed of even thinking about bloodbending his brother outdoors in broad daylight.

The worst part was that this was the sort of thing he missed. He wanted nothing more than for Noatak to show him new waterbending moves, for them to practice together and spar like other kids in the village often did.

Tarrlok tugged a ponytail uneasily. "Uh. Maybe later. We should probably get back and scale the fish now." He turned and ran back to the village, acutely aware of Noatak's scornful eyes on his back.

The first stars were appearing by the time Tarrlok got to the harbor. He strolled right past the ferry to Air Temple Island, favoring the little ship's captain with a cheerful smile. If he arrived at Tenzin's house the conventional way, the White Lotus guards would almost certainly turn him away, so he raised his arms and bent the brackish water around him as he walked into the surf.

_This is it, _he thought. Tonight he would finally meet her, in the flesh.

The perfect quiet at the bottom of the bay helped ease his nerves. There was no sound but his breathing and the gentle splash of water all around him. It was too dark down there to see properly, but it was a straight walk to the island, provided there weren't any sunken ships or whatnot in the way.

He did nearly trip over an anchor, but other than that he made it to Air Temple Island without incident. The guards were busy scanning the bay for boats, and thus never noticed Tarrlok rising from the water at the south shore. Tenzin ought to invest in some better security, he reflected.

Tarrlok presented himself confidently at the front door of the main building, where he was greeted by a rather gormless-looking Air Acolyte. "Excuse me, sir," the man began. "Master Tenzin and his family have just sat down to dinner, and I'm afraid-"

"Afraid they've started without me? Not to worry, I always knew Master Tenzin was a mannerless boor, I wouldn't expect anything better of him." The acolyte's horrified expression as Tarrlok shouldered past him was a delight to behold.

And there she was. She sat at the foot of the table as Tenzin droned on about compassion and thankfulness and so on. The Avatar struck Tarrlok rather differently in person than in the newspaper. She reminded him less of Noatak, for one thing, but she more than made up for it in…other ways. He was a worldly man and not frequently impressed by physical beauty, but sweet Yue she did have a gorgeous pair of breasts.

Tarrlok traded shots with Tenzin and put up with some outright impertinence from his daughter (which of course no one reprimanded her for) before he was able to sit down next to Korra. She seemed somewhat reserved, but that was only to be expected. She had no reason to trust him immediately, he had to show her that he was on her side, no matter what Tenzin might say.

"So, I've been reading all about your exploits in the papers," he began. "Infiltrating Amon's rally, now that took some real initiative!"

Korra warmed up a little at that. "Thanks, I think you might be the first authority figure in the city who's happy I'm here." He couldn't fail to miss the unhappy inflection in her words. That was the key to the situation: She was used to approval and hadn't received it so far.

"Oh, Republic City is much better off now that _you're_ here," he told her.

"Enough with the flattery, Tarrlok. What do you want with Korra?" Tenzin interrupted. What on earth had possessed that man to get into politics? He'd met turtle-seals with more subtlety.

"Patience, Tenzin, I'm getting to that. As you may have heard, I am assembling a task force that will strike at the heart of the revolution, and I want you to join me." The Avatar and the airbender both seemed surprised. "I need someone who will help me attack Amon directly, someone who is fearless in the face of danger. And that someone is you," he continued.

The Avatar looked away uncomfortably. "Join your task force? I can't," she said. She seemed positively ashamed by her answer.

"I must admit, I'm rather surprised. I thought you'd jump at the chance to help me lead the charge against Amon," he said.

"Me too," murmured Tenzin.

_This is not a problem,_ Tarrlok told himself against his rising alarm. _She can hardly say yes with Tenzin right here to forbid her. Besides, why agree to work for nothing?_

She made some excuse about airbending, but Tarrlok scarcely heard it. By the time he left the house, he was already sure of how to get Korra's acquiescence. What she said in the privacy of Tenzin's home had nothing to do with what she said to the assembled force of Republic City's press, especially if some of them could be persuaded to pick at the Avatar's pride.

The young lady in Tarrlok's office was a little too composed for his taste. She obviously had her own agenda, but he couldn't imagine what she would gain by informing on a superior officer like this.

"Are you absolutely sure Saikhan will proposition you again?" he pressed her. "You appear remarkably certain of what he'll do."

The junior police officer just smiled. She was a Water Tribe non-bender, and so would never go very far on her own in the force. He supposed she was just trying to curry favor, though her attitude seemed wrong for it. "Believe me, sir, he puts his cables all over me whenever he gets the chance. Just get to that room tomorrow at about noon and you'll have him dead to rights."

He shifted behind his desk. It was a perfect opportunity to get a hold over Chief Bei Fong's second in command, but he felt as though he were walking over rotten ice. It could be the girl thought she could eventually snare Tarrlok himself the same way, but she wasn't flirting with him at all. If anything, the look in her eyes was rather hateful.

"You will be compensated for your trouble, naturally," he told her, watching carefully. Greed was a simple enough motivation. He liked greedy people, they were easy to please.

She didn't appear excited at all. "Thank you, sir. I just want to do the right thing." She looked at him just as closely as he did at her. "He thinks he can do whatever he wants to me because he's such a great bender," she said. "I don't think that's fair at all. I'm in Communications, not even his department. He's not my boss, he can't fire me. But he thinks he can break any rule he wants just because he can smash my skull with a rock or something, and he needs to know that's not how it works." She narrowed her eyes and leaned back in her chair, as though she expected something.

What made her think he cared about her life story? If he wanted to know he'd have found out already. "He certainly will, Officer Yura. I'll make sure he won't bother you anymore."

Tarrlok and his brother skinned and gutted the fish together in silence as their mother hummed tunelessly on the other side of the room. She had a terrible ear, but Tarrlok liked hearing her voice anyway. She was always at Yakone to get a radio, but he was glad they didn't have one.

They had almost finished when Yakone came home. He tossed a heap of Arctic foxes on the table, ready to be skinned, and stretched out on the furs next to their mother. Tarrlok always wondered how she could be so close to him without cringing, but their father was never anything but kind around their mother. He supposed she had no reason to think her husband was anything but a good man, even if Noatak thought she was stupid.

"The boys and I are going on a hunt tonight," he said, putting an arm around her. "We'll probably be back by sundown tomorrow."

She paused at her sewing. "Isn't there supposed to be a blizzard tonight? It's already snowing very hard."

Yakone put his hand over hers. "That just makes it a challenge. Don't even worry about us."

She played with the beads on the anorak she was decorating. "If you say so. I just want you all to be careful out there, please."

"Of course, love." He kissed her on the cheek, and Tarrlok shuddered.

Noatak was clutching the boning knife so hard his hands were shaking. "And how are we supposed to find any tracks through the snow?" he demanded. "All the animals are going to be hiding from the storm, and you think we're going to _catch_ something? What do you really think is going to happen out there?"

For a second, Tarrlok thought Noatak was going to stab someone. It could have been Yakone, it could have been their mother; the look in his eyes didn't have much to do with reason. He grabbed his brother by the arm – Noatak would do a lot of things, he was sure, but he wouldn't hurt Tarrlok. "Please," he whispered. "Don't get yourself in trouble."

Noatak looked away suddenly, and the stillness of the moment was broken. "Don't you _ever_ talk to your mother that way!" Yakone roared. "I'll only put up with so much out of you, do you hear me, son? Now go get your things together, both of you!" He stormed out of the hut, and their mother bent her head over her beadwork, trying not to cry.


	3. Chapter 3

The music was too loud, the room was too crowded, and nothing was being accomplished, but none of the partygoers seemed to mind, Tarrlok observed. He found it easier to work people over alone or in small groups, but sometimes grand events like these were necessary. At least he wasn't having to pay for the wretched affair himself, though.

There were simply too many variables present to keep adequate control over any of them. The Earth Kingdom Councilman's young lover kept trying to corner him, which would have been disastrous since the man's wife was right there on his arm, and it fell to Tarrlok to keep steering the girl to meet new, less important people. Then there was The Southern Water Tribe member, who kept coming up to him to pester him about Lin Bei Fong giving him funny looks, which he felt meant that she had found out about his involvement with the Red Monsoons.

_That_ was just stupid, since the Triads hadn't even done anything worth noting since the Triple Threats had been neutralized, and so couldn't possibly have given away the Councilman at the moment. Tarrlok tried to explain that as patiently as he could, but the man was convinced that he would be arrested by midnight, and to top it all off he admitted to having cactus extract in his system. He maneuvered away from the paranoid waterbender only for Councilwoman Radha's husband to grab him by the collar and drunkenly accuse him of sleeping with his wife.

"Don't tell me it's not true," he wept. "She always stays late to those meetings, you bastard, you've been with her!"

Tarrlok disentangled himself and edged away from the old sot. "I assure you-" he began, but then dodged a clumsy swipe.

"Assure me? Assure me? I'll assure _you_ right in your smug face, you evil son of a spider-rat!"

"I assure you," he continued once he had a hold of the sot's wrists, "On my honor as a Council member and my reputation as a man of good taste, I have never been inappropriate with your wife, and nothing in the world could _possibly_ horrify me more." He managed to lead the man back to Radha, who didn't seem very pleased to have him back. He collapsed sobbing on her shoulder, and Tarrlok hissed "Would you _please_ at least try to keep your own house in order? I don't know who you've been with and I don't care, but make sure to keep my name out of it in the future!" He looked around, but for a mercy the reporters hadn't strayed from the little knot by the staircase.

Just then, there was a wave of applause that could only mean the Avatar had finally arrived.

She looked…pretty. Quite pretty, in fact. Her face looked gentler with her hair down, and her dark blue dress made her seem nearly elegant. Tarrlok had to conceal a sigh as he made his way over to her. There were thousands of beautiful girls in Republic City, and quite a lot of them were present tonight. There was only one living goddess at the gala, but for some reason it pleased her to present herself as one of them. He couldn't wrap his head around it. Had he been her mentor instead of Tenzin, he would have had her come dressed as a Southern Wolf Warrior, though perhaps without the face paint. The Avatar was the most powerful bender in the world, and she ought to represent herself as such, he felt. Only shy teenage boys would fear the young woman before him, and unfortunately there weren't many of those in the Equalists.

He paid his respects to the Avatar and steered her gently around the room, not quite touching the small of her back. Her eyes were wide and trusting, which very nearly made him feel guilty as he guided her away from the manager of the Yugoda Memorial Hospital, who would have praised her integrity for refusing to join the task force. Instead, he introduced her to Hiroshi Sato, who had always made a point of staying away from politics. He'd brought his daughter along, and two young men he didn't recognize, he noticed.

Avatar Korra noticed as well. Her voice took on a hard edge and she folded her arms across her chest as they talked, her body oriented to the boy on Ms. Sato's arm and her face wretched. Tarrlok suffered another faint twinge of guilt as he called Lin Bei Fong over, but things would work out better tonight if the Avatar weren't feeling her usual confident self. The Chief was as rude as he'd hoped, making a few caustic remarks and stalking away.

It wouldn't do at all if she got too upset, though, he thought as they made their way to the top of the balcony. She was biting her lip and her head was down, and a grilling from the journalists might be enough to make her do something that _he_ would regret as much as she would.

"So what did you think of the fabulous Asami Sato?" he asked lightly. "I'm not sure she was wearing enough makeup, you could almost see her under it."

Korra smiled weakly. "Almost."

"I've always thought she must have some kind of hideous birthmark underneath it all," he told her as they got into position. "It's going to be a nasty shock for her little pro-bending friend the first time he catches her without her face on. For all anyone knows, she looks like Koh the Face Stealer under there." Tarrlok had no particular feelings about the Sato girl, but it got a laugh out of the Avatar.

"If you don't mind, they just have a couple questions," he said sweetly, with a delicate push to the small of her back. She was as tense as a bowstring, she must have some idea what she was in for.

_It's just how the game is played_, he assured himself as the wave of criticism washed over Korra. There were any number of ways to dance out of the verbal traps the reporters laid for her, and when she looked back on this later she would see where she went wrong. She would learn to speak over them, rephrase their questions to suit herself, and lead them off a tricky subject with glib retorts and grand, meaningless declarations. It was for her own good, really. If Tarrlok didn't teach her these things, then other people without his good intentions would just manipulate her. _She'll_ _thank me someday._

* * *

It occurred to Chiang that he might be a little out of his depth when he stood before the leader of the Equalists in a badly lit underground office, and it occurred to him that this was probably the worst time to come to that realization. He could have said no, I don't want to do my part to liberate my fellow non-benders, thanks. He could have asked if he could stick to helping out at the secret factories and running messages. He could even have tried his luck at taking his turf by the train station back from Skoochy, since he knew a little chi-blocking now and even an earthbender can't do much about it if you shank him from behind, anyway. But a special task from Amon himself had actually sounded like a good thing when he got the offer, and so here he was, being told he had to rat out a bunch of not-even-Equalists and it was supposed to _help_ the revolution?

Amon was waiting for his answer in silence, but the only answer Chiang had ready at the moment was to say "Oh," and pick at a loose thread in his sleeve. He stared at the floor for guidance. It was not forthcoming.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and flinched. "Your hesitation is understandable, and does you credit," the man said. "We could never have entrusted this mission to someone who would accept it eagerly."

Chiang squirmed. "I, uh, thanks, but I mean, it doesn't make, you know, a whole lot of sense. To me, I mean, I'm not saying it's a bad idea, I just don't, well, I'm not a genius or anything but it doesn't seem like, you know, a _great_ idea but that's just me," he stammered. He was probably going to turn up dead in the harbor.

Amon released his shoulder and took a step back, and Chiang found he could breathe properly again. "You deserve an explanation, of course," he said. "The interesting thing about the Dragon Flats Bookstore chapter is that, with the exception of two guards, none of the chi-blocking students are members of the revolution. They do not wear uniforms, they do not carry out missions, and they do not proselytize our cause." Chiang nodded, and wondered if Amon actually expected him to know what 'proselytize' meant.

"Nor do any of them have a previous criminal record," he continued. "One is pursuing her degree in agricultural science at Republic City University, another repairs Satomobiles for a living. The oldest member is almost sixty, and the youngest is seventeen. All are perfectly innocent, ordinary citizens.

"Tell me this, Chiang." The masked man folded his arms behind his back and fixed the boy with a stare. "What crime could they possibly be arrested for, when you inform the anti-Equalist task force of their existence?"

"Chi blocking," he said immediately. He didn't want to look stupid in front of Amon and his honor guard.

"Chi blocking is a respectable art practiced by the Kyoshi Warriors for nearly a century. Try again."

He flushed. "Being Equalists," he ventured.

"Even if all the Dragon Flats students were full members, which they are not, there is no law forbidding citizens from joining us. Try again."

Chiang pulled at the loose string again, feeling lost. "I don't know, sir," he admitted. "They'll think of something, though."

"We cannot know this for sure, Chiang, and it is always a mistake to plan an attack before you are sure of how your opponent will react. You must know how to win before you begin to fight." He turned away from the street urchin. "It may be that the Councilman will surprise us. It's possible he will follow his better instincts and speak with the Dragon Flats chi-blockers before attacking them. He might even try to understand our cause, to work with us to achieve a better future for his own constituents. Even if he does not come to such wisdom himself, the Avatar could very well inspire him to a more moderate approach than he has taken so far. She is our Avatar too, after all."

He giggled, he couldn't help it. "Yeah," he tittered. "She'll punch the wisdom right into him."

Amon sighed, and he realized he hadn't actually been joking. "You may be right, Chiang, but I rather hope you are not," he said. "Even so, the fact remains is that we cannot strike down the bending elite before they have proved themselves tyrants to the masses. If they rise above the bait we have set for them, then we will have discovered a potential ally in Councilman Tarrlok. Whichever path they choose, we cannot act until they have chosen it. Now that you know what is as stake, what is your answer, young friend?"

Chiang grinned. He was more than happy to help set a trap, since that was what it really was, under all the fancy talk about paths and 'proselytize'.

* * *

She had been pretty at the gala, but tonight she was beautiful.

The Avatar knelt, stone-faced and armor clad, waiting for his orders. She was lithe and young and oh, she was dangerous, an avenging spirit made flesh. Tarrlok would have liked nothing more than to lead her off into the shadows and venerate her as she deserved, in a tangle of steel and leather and stinging ice, but that would hardly be appropriate before the raid had even begun.

He nodded at her, then signaled to his team. The waterbenders got a nice five gallons or so ready for everyone, and the earthbenders took their positions just a step behind them. There weren't any firebenders on the task force; they would just have left a bunch of nasty scars and bad public opinion. He took a brief pause to savor the moment: A cadre of skilled warriors awaited his command, the only person whose opinion really mattered at his side, ready to pounce. _This is what we were born to do._ He heard Korra took a deep breath, and it was like coming home.

Tarrlok brought his hand down, and the walls came down with it.

The ones closest to the windows had time to scream, but only half a second. The earthbenders leapt in after the flood and sent rocks flying into the ones who had been too far away, and one of them managed a lovely shot that slammed a woman into the wall. Tarrlok froze one of the instructors' heads, but another threw a pair of gas canisters at them and made off with his partner. Fortunately Korra caught the canisters in ice before they were all blind and choking, and then she was tearing off after her prey.

Tarrlok cast a short glance over the room. There was an enormous poster of the Equalist leader hanging against the far wall, but none of the assembled chi-blockers were wearing the notorious green-and-goggles. The woman in purple was crying raggedly, and a girl in pigtails stared at him through the ice in mute appeal. He resisted the impulse to spit and followed Korra down the hall.

* * *

"Remember what I told you and everything will be fine," Noatak murmured as they trudged together against the snarling white wind. Their father was next to invisible despite being less than twenty feet ahead of them, so they followed the tracks he left in the snow. He laughed softly. "I guess dad wasn't lying after all, Tarrlok. We're hunting _him_."

Tarrlok chose not to reply to that. He squinted his eyes shut against the biting cold and leaned against his brother. He wasn't any warmer for it, but Noatak would make sure he didn't fall into a crevasse or wander off into the storm.

Noatak hooked his arm around Tarrlok's for the latter part of the trek, but made sure to disentangle himself from the smaller boy before their father turned around during a lull in the blizzard. His fangs had been drawn long ago, but he took a bender's stance unconsciously as he surveyed his children. The elder met his gaze expressionlessly, the younger fiddled nervously with his pack. The silence went on interminably, until Tarrlok thought he was going to scream. _This is all wrong, there aren't any animals here, we're not even close to the hunting trails._

"Fifteen paces, face each other," the old man growled after an eternity. They did as he bid them, and Tarrlok clenched his fists to stop them from shaking. _It doesn't matter what he says, Noatak's not going to do it. He's not afraid of dad, he won't do that to me even if he yells at him_. His palms began to sweat.

"Noatak, go."

He heard Noatak take a deep breath, and it was like drowning.

Tarrlok had always wondered why the animals struggled so hard when that clearly made it hurt worse, but he understood then. His brain had nothing to do with it, every fiber of his body strained against the merciless power that forced him to his knees. His back arched cruelly and he wished he could silence the pathetic little moans that escaped him but all he could do was face the sky and try to focus on the snow, fluttering down like stars dropping out of the night. He caught a glimpse of Noatak's face, stern and aloof and beautiful. He tried to catch his eye. _Please stop, don't do this, you're hurting me._

He did not stop. He held Tarrlok there and watched him shake until Yakone gave him the word. Only then did Noatak release him, exhale and bow. Tarrlok gasped for breath and stared at the two of them. The scorn on both their faces made him want to curl up on the ice and die.

"Tarrlok! Your turn."

He climbed unsteadily to his feet. Noatak gave him a discreet nod.

"No," he said, hardly aware that he said it. "I won't do it."

"_Bloodbend your brother, Tarrlok!"_

"That felt awful," he protested, fighting down a sob. "I don't want to do that to _anyone_. I never want to bloodbend again!" Maybe Yakone would just take out his club and kill him.

Yakone seemed to be thinking along the same lines. "You're a disgrace, a _weakling,_" he spat, pacing forward. "I'll teach you, a lesson, you insubordinate-"

"Stay away from him." Noatak stepped between them, but somehow Tarrlok didn't feel any safer. He watched his brother fight with their father, although it wasn't really much of a fight at all. It felt strange, to see someone who had loomed so large over his life held so utterly captive, though he couldn't help but notice that Noatak left him on his feet.

Noatak turned to face him. "Let's go, we can run away from him, forever," he said.

"Run away?" If Noatak had suggested that this morning, Tarrlok would have spent the day packing. Now, the idea of the two of them roaming the world alone but for each other seemed even worse than staying at home with Yakone. Besides…."But what about mom? We can't just leave her."

Noatak looked neither surprised nor upset by his rejection. "He was right about you," he observed. "You are a weakling." And with that, he ran out of Tarrlok's life, never even looking back.


End file.
